Development and Validation of a B. E. A. N. Survey for College Students

Abstract

Background: College students often do not consume the recommended amounts of beans and legumes. To develop interventions aimed at improving the intake of beans and legumes in the college population, more information is needed on the behaviors, environment, attitudes, and nutrition knowledge (B. E. A. N.) of college students regarding beans. Validated tools to assess these bean-related constructs are currently lacking. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to 1). Gather preliminary qualitative information about bean-related constructs (Phase I); and 2). Create a valid and reliable survey tool to measure the B. E. A. N. constructs with a larger sample of college students (Phase II). Methods: Phase I included cognitive interviews with university students (n = 30) to collect baseline data on the B. E. A. N. constructs. Phase II involved survey development and content validation with 5 content experts and face validation with 5 undergraduate students. A convenience sample of undergraduate students was surveyed to test internal structure and consistency (n = 355), establish convergent and discriminant evidence (n = 351), and measure test-retest reliability (n = 242) of the developed tool. Results: Development and revisions in Phase I and content and face validation resulted in a 13-question survey consisting of four primary constructs of behavior (4 items), environment (2 items), attitudes (5 items), and nutrition knowledge (2 items). In Phase II, factor analysis resulted in one factor of "bean consumption" being created from combining attitude and behavior questions, with factor loadings from .77 to .94. However, two environment and two knowledge questions were retained due to perceived relevancy. The internal consistency was α = 0.97 for the "bean consumption" construct (8 items) and α = 0.96 for the entire survey (12 items). The knowledge construct was validated by those that had taken an introductory nutrition course having significantly higher mean knowledge scores than those that had not taken an introductory nutrition course (p < 0.001; 3.05 ±.89 vs. 2.30 ± 1.62, respectively). The test-retest results ranged from r =.480 to .825 with all correlations being statistically significant (p < 0.01). The average total score for the pilot testing was 33.7 (± 27) out of a possible 100 points. Conclusion: This validated survey may be used in future research to examine the B. E. A. N. of college students regarding beans. This knowledge may be valuable in developing future effective health promotion interventions with college students.

Pulse Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Cooking Experience of Midwestern US University Students

“…As with the college students in this study, other research supports that most people have a positive attitude toward beans/pulses, like the taste of them, and purchase both dry and canned [18,28,[36][37][38][39]. Black beans, lentils, pinto beans, and chickpeas were the most common types of pulses cooked, which is similar to pulse popularity found in other studies in North America [11,18,19,28,36].…”

“…College-aged students experience many life changes, and unhealthy diets have become commonplace [ 2 , 4 ]. Pulses are foods that can fill nutritional gaps for college students (fiber, folate, and iron), as well as meet their food preferences and improve dietary quality of these young adults [ 1 , 6 , 18 , 19 ]. Assessing current consumer practices is the first step in developing an evidence-based plan to do so.…”

“…Students were more knowledgeable about the term “legume” than “pulse”. Other studies with college students have shown a deficit of pulse knowledge [ 7 , 18 , 19 ]. Only 36% of college students were able to identify beans or legumes correctly from a list of 10 food items [ 18 ].…”

“…Despite their sustainability advantage, clear health benefits, versatility, easy preparation (especially with canned varieties), and affordability, pulses are consumed at levels below recommendations across most age groups [ 1 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Research on college students in a southeastern US university and a Canadian university both showed pulse consumption below the dietary recommendations for the majority of students [ 18 , 19 ]. Establishing healthy diet patterns that include the recommended amount of pulses may improve nutrition and address global environmental challenges [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…Research is limited on specific foods purchased and the attitudes or purchasing preferences of college students or other young adults (aged 18–30) [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Few studies have assessed US college students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices surrounding pulse usage or factors influencing pulse consumption.…”